White House seeks list of programs that would be hurt if shutdown lasts into March  —  White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has pressed agency leaders to provide him with a list of the highest-impact programs that will be jeopardized if the shutdown continues into March and April, people familiar with the directive said.

AP-NORC poll: Shutdown drags Trump approval to yearlong low  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A strong majority of Americans blame President Donald Trump for the government shutdown and reject his primary rationale for a border wall.  That's according to a new poll that shows the turmoil in Washington …

Maduro Cuts Ties with U.S. After Trump Recognizes New Leader in Venezuela  —  CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela scrapped all diplomatic ties with the United States on Wednesday and gave American diplomats 72 hours to leave, ordering them out with a derisive …

“She Was a Cartoon Villain Brought to Life”: A Former Trump Aide Recalls Conway's Leaking Tactics in the West Wing Viper's Nest  —  In this exclusive excerpt from Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House, a former Trump aide recalls the leaking, the gossiping …

Air Traffic Controllers, Pilots, Flight Attendants Detail Serious Safety Concerns Due to Shutdown  —  Washington, D.C. — On Day 33 of the government shutdown, National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Paul Rinaldi, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) President Joe DePete …

BuzzFeed to Cut 15% of Its Workforce  —  Layoffs could affect about 250 jobs across the company  —  BuzzFeed is planning to lay off about 15% of its workforce, according to people familiar with the situation, as the company seeks to reorient itself in a shifting digital-media landscape.

McConnell blocks bill to reopen most of government  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blocked legislation on Wednesday that would reopen most of the government currently closed during the partial shutdown.  —  Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) went to the Senate floor to ask for consent …

Covington Catholic Teen on ‘Fox & Friends’: Blackface Is ‘School Spirit’  —  'We haven't been able to wear black paint because of the video, but I know the kids meant nothing by it,' one senior explained to Steve Doocy.  —  Covington Catholic High School's increasing notoriety has only pushed it further into the mud.

Republican Senator Joni Ernst Says She Was Raped in College  — Ernst speaks in first interview since divorce details divulged  — Fourth-ranking Senate Republican up for re-election in 2020  —  Republican Senator Joni Ernst says that she was raped in college by someone she knew …

Billionaire Ken Griffin Buys America's Most Expensive Home for $238 Million  —  The record-breaking purchase of a New York City penthouse is the latest in a string of multimillion-dollar real-estate deals by the hedge-fund manager  —  Billionaire Ken Griffin, who is becoming almost as known …

Michael Cohen postpones congressional testimony because of threats to family from Trump and Giuliani  — President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, is postponing his plan to testify before Congress in February because of concerns about his family's safety, according to Lanny Davis, Cohen's advisor.

Kamala Harris's Logo Is a Disaster.  Here's Why.  —  Does bad graphic design doom good candidates?  Or do lousy candidates inspire bad graphic design?  —  Back in 2016, I was pretty bullish on Marco Rubio's presidential prospects—right up until the moment I saw this:  —  The candidate's name in lower case?

Biden's Paid Speech Buoyed the G.O.P. in Midwest Battleground  — A speech by Joe Biden in October helped Fred Upton, a vulnerable Republican, win re-election in Michigan.  — Mr. Biden, who earned $200,000 for the speech, stunned Democrats and elated Republicans by praising Mr. Upton …

At least 5 people killed at SunTrust Bank in Sebring, Florida, police say  —  (CNN)A gunman who barricaded himself in a SunTrust Bank in Florida killed at least five people in the branch on Wednesday, Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said.  —  The suspect called authorities to say he had entered …

Here's Video of Beto O'Rourke Singing “Blitzkrieg Bop” in a Sheep Mask and Onesie  —  By now, most people who follow national politics have probably heard that Beto O'Rourke, the former Democratic congressman from El Paso who is contemplating a run for president, once played bass in a punk rock band called Foss.

Gawker 2.0 Implodes as Its Only Reporters Quit  —  The new site's only two full-time writers exited Wednesday in protest of editorial director Carson Griffith's offensive remarks about everything from race to penis size.  —  Gawker 2. is blowing up on the launchpad just two weeks after the site's …

Billionaires in Davos hate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 70% tax on the rich  —  When billionaire chief executive Michael Dell was asked on Wednesday whether he would support a proposal put forth by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to tax millionaires at a 70 percent tax rate …

A group representing Nathan Phillips wrongly said he served in Vietnam.  Then came the accusations.  —  There's no evidence that he's ever claimed to have served in Vietnam, a representative said  —  Nathan Phillips, the U.S. veteran whose standoff with high school students on the steps …

How Trump Suborns Perjury  —  BuzzFeed set off a cascading series of controversies last week when it reported that President Donald Trump had “directed” his longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about a Trump Tower deal in Moscow that was being negotiated during the 2016 election.

2020 Democratic primary field puts diversity in spotlight  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The early days of the Democratic primary campaign are highlighting the party's diversity as it seeks a nominee who can build a coalition to take on President Donald Trump.  —  Of the more than half dozen Democrats …